Say hello to Stanley Jacobs, a self-made businessman if ever there is one.
And the car-washing and detailing business along Hope Mills Road is thriving. In fact, it’s booming, and Jacobs is grateful for every dirty vehicle that comes his way.
“I started it out of the trunk of my car,” says Jacobs, 36, who is the owner of Flawless Touch Detailing. “I had my own hose pipe, some cleaning products and vacuums and extension cords.”
He washed vehicles at his then Vanstory Hills home until a neighbor complained to the city.
Jacobs says he wasn’t trying to offend neighbors.
“It was just something I do on the side,” says Jacobs, whose full-time job was working those early shifts with Flowers Food, where Jacobs delivered Nature’s Own and Merita bread to grocery chains and convenience stores.
With a family that includes two sons, Jacobs says, he was just trying to earn some extra money.
“When I started, I did it right by myself,” he says. “I finally got me a van and a mobile water tank and a generator. I had about three or four people who were regulars.”
He would wash and detail their vehicles at their homes.
“Somebody would see me, stop and ask for a business card,” Jacobs says. “Business picked up. When I got on Google, things really took off. And the Nextdoor app. I was doing five cars a day.”
And Jacobs soon was out of the bread-delivery business.
Along with the van, mobile water tank and generator, Jacobs hired some workers to assist in the business. Within two years, Jacobs took Flawless Touch Detailing to a location along U.S. 301 Business. But not for long.
“I couldn’t grow no more there,” he says.
Truth is, Flawless Touch Detailing needed more room to accommodate customers and their vehicles in need of washing, waxing, detailing and the works.
“Bobby Williford had this building up for lease,” Jacobs says about Williford, a longtime local photographer at the attractive building at 706 Hope Mills Road. “We moved in here Nov. 21, 2021.”
‘Impeccable work’
This isn’t your typical car wash. You won’t find a bay with those dangling spinning cloths and do-it-yourself vacuum units. Employees do all of the washing and waxing, detailing and vacuuming in the back, and there are waiting rooms for customers.
And just so you’ll know, if you don’t have time to wait, Jacobs will send his workforce to your home to pick up your vehicle, take it to his business and bring it back to you. And your vehicle will be immaculate inside and outside.
“It’s about a two-hour job,” Jacobs says.
If you are not satisfied, Jacobs says, no problem.
Jacobs runs his business with a policy that the customer is always right.
“It cost you absolutely nothing to be nice,” he says. “Your customers are the ones paying your bills.”
Anthony Waddy, owner of Pro Trans Executive Transportation — which provides transportation and security for corporate executives, entertainment celebrities and government officials — praises Jacobs and Flawless Touch Detailing.
“He details a lot of high-end vehicles,” Waddy says. “His company does impeccable work and he has been detailing my Cadillac Escalade ESV Platinum for almost a year now. And his people skills are beyond reproach.”
‘I’ve always liked cleaning cars’
To say Jacobs is a self-made businessman is something of an understatement.
He grew up in Robeson County and dropped out of Lumberton High School, finding what he describes as “dead-end jobs.”
He attended Robeson Community College and earned his GED diploma. He had numerous jobs, including construction, at a Walmart distribution center, at a Family Dollar variety store, in pest control and even as a detention officer with the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office before working in the bread-delivery business.
“But I’ve always liked cleaning cars,” Jacobs says. “I’ve always kept my Mom’s car clean.”
Jacobs will clean your vehicle, too, and it’ll be like the day you purchased it new.
“We do a little bit of everything now,” Jacobs says, from a full exterior wash to interior detailing.
Wait, there’s more.
You can have your vehicle waxed, and there’s window-tinting. Flawless Touch Detailing does paint correction, too.
“On average, we do 15 to 20 vehicles a week,” Jacobs says, “and 50 to 60 a month. Last month, we did 90 cars. I think my prices are fair. We spend time on cars.”
Jacobs hopes that one day his sons, who are 14 and 16 years old, will follow in his footsteps and take over the business.
Epilogue
Something else you might wish to know about Jacobs.
He has never forgotten the customers who gave him their vehicles to wash and detail — and their trust — back in 2018. While the business has grown, Jacobs services their vehicles at the same price as when he started the business.
“Because they supported me in the very beginning, and gave me a chance,” Jacobs says. “They let me come to their houses when I had no branding, no insurance, and they gave me a chance at my craft. And they told people about me.”
The late Dr. Scott Stapleton and Caro Lee Stapleton were Jacobs’ first customers.
“He was just kind of somebody I believed in,” Mrs. Stapleton says. “I like his work ethic and that he is now an entrepreneur from a small operation to a larger operation. I totally supported him when he got his mobile wash. I totally believe in him now. He is great, and an honest person.”
He’s Stanley Jacobs, a self-made businessman if ever there is one.
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
